Chrisse One shots
by CallMeAutumnQueen
Summary: This fandom needs more Chrisse so here it is!
1. love you

_-I'm right on the edge_

 _And I know how to swim, but I'm not jumping in_

 _Not scared to get wet_

 _But if we dip our feet, I know we'll go too deep"_

 _"Words", Daya_

 _ **...**_

Chris never said the three words, afraid that Clarisse wasn't ready to hear it or say it back.

He wasn't ready to deal with no answer anyway or to deal with the idea that maybe, just maybe, he loved her more than she loved him.

But even though, he'd always tried to show it to her with actions. Like when he stayed at camp with her and her brothers and sisters while the other campers were fighting in the war. Or when he did or said something stupid just to distract her when she fought with some random camper and got angry.

Clarisse could see it. She could see it all. And she wasn't scared, she simply didn't want to say it.

It was like standing on the edge of a big, cold ocean, and everybody thought that she didn't swim because she didn't know how, or because she was afraid to get wet or feel cold.

But she knew how to swim and she was definitely not afraid. She was perfect where she was. Although she had never said those words to somebody, she could say them if she wanted. But she did not.

To her, it was too early for it and she needed to slow it down and wait for a better moment before jumping into the ocean, even if sometimes jumping felt easy.  
And she didn't need to say "I love you" to Chris, no when she could show it with actions.

And that was perfect for them, Clarisse would only jump when she wanted it, and Chris would be waiting for when she was ready. Both of them not saying the words but dancing around it and waiting for the right moment.

 _ **...**_

 ** _Hi, there! I'm just a random girl that needs to improve her English and thinks that there aren't enough Chrisse's fics into this fandom so did this._**

 ** _And yep, English isn't my mother tongue, but it one of the idioms that I'm learning and I want to improve it because this is my last year and...nothing, just hope you like, and if you see any mistake, SAY IT! It'll help me to be better._**


	2. Bandana and jacket

For the entire camp, Chris had marked his own death sentence. A horrible, terrible, and painful death sentence.

And he didn't care.

None of the eldest campers could say that they had ever seen Clarisse without her bandana. Not a single one.

Until now.

Chris was sitting with his half-siblings at the Hermes's table with the red bandana tied around his wrist as he ate his breakfast as if nothing was happening and people weren't staring and talking about him.

One of his sisters looked at him, leaning on the table.

"Did you steal it? How?"

"Stealing it." It was so funny for him to see all the camp going crazy with him stealing one of the most precious things Clarisse has ever had.

It wasn't the first time he did it, though. Actually, he's always been stealing her bandana and the campers never noticed it because she's always managed to take it back. Clarisse had the habit of taking it off and put it on all the time because she couldn't just put her hands down. And he always takes the opportunity when he sees one.

So when Clarisse finished her breakfast, she just stood up and walked to the Hermes's table as all the campers held their breath and kept as quiet as they could be. Reaching out her hand, she ordered him to give it back to her.

Chiron stared, hoping they wouldn't fight. He liked the couple and liked how Chris could calm Clarisse down when she got angry.

Besides that, he didn't want to stop a fight so early in the morning.

Chris just chuckled.

"I told you I was going to take it if you don't give me my jacket back. And I'm going to keep my word, thanks."

"I don't have your stupid jacket. I don't even know where it is; so give me my bandana back and look once again your siblings' stuff."

One of his half-brothers frowned, whispering how they were always the ones to blame. Both ignored him.

"I'll give you the bandana if you give me my jacket– And I know that you have it; you were the last to wear it."

"And I gave it back to you, di immortales!"

Chris stood up, stretched like a cat and looked at her. He could tell she was going from annoyed to really mad. He relaxed a bit, trying not to make her even madder.

"You did not," he said.

"Yes, I did!"

"Hum, guys? We're trying to have breakfast here." Connor waved at them, trying to get their attention.

"Whatever," Chris said. He untied the bandana and held it. "If I don't get my jacket back after the campfire, I'm going to steal it again, ok?"

"Don't you dare. I don't have it, but if I put my hand on it I'll burn it, just for revenge." Clarisse put her bandana on, turned around and went out of the Dining Pavilion. The campers started to talk again.

"Man, it was you, right?" The girl who had spoken before whispered to Connor who smiled innocently. "Oh, man! You better leave it on his bed before they get mad for real. You know how they are. It starts as a joke, an innocent game, and then they really get mad and–"

"I know it, Maribel. I'll give it back, I promise. Just let me have some fun first."


	3. Happiness and mistakes

_**I don't own Chris, Clarisse or the other characters of PJ**_

 _ **...**_

It has been a month since the Titan War was over and Clarisse wanted to punch Chris in the face.

The guy was avoiding everybody, including her.

Clarisse never ran away from a fight or an awkward situation, so after an entire week where Chris didn't return to his normal behavior, she confronted him.

She found him in the woods, sitting under a tree near the Zeus' Fist. She didn't have to ask what was the matter with him. Seeing the look on his face was enough to understand everything.

If at first she wanted to punch him in the face, at that moment she wanted to hit his head against the tree he was under. Better yet, against Zeus' fist.

Sometimes Chris's face could be like an opened book, a book that Clarisse learned how to read several years ago. And she could read the guilt, the pain, the shame and the repentance all over his face.

That stupid, obtuse, dull-witted guy... she was going to kill him, someday, she was sure.

After all this time she still couldn't understand why if the whole camp forgave him, he could not forgive himself.

"Chris..." Chris looked away, while Clarisse sat down beside him.

"Chris." She tried again, but he shook his head.

"You cannot understand how much it hurts knowing that, after what happened, after all the deaths, after all the pain, the gods and the camp are still moving on, trying to survive and fix all of their mistakes as a family is supposed to do after an argument. Knowing that you all gave me another chance because I gave this up, all of this." Chris extended his arms gesturing to the whole place, his voice trembling.

There was a moment of silence, and then, resting her head on the tree, Clarisse spoke, "We are all supposed to do that. Fail. Make mistakes. We aren't completely human and we can't say 'We are humans. Humans aren't perfect and make mistakes', but we are demigods,Chris, and all of us are flawed. Today or tomorrow, or perhaps in ten or twenty years, but we are all going to fail. Some mistakes will cost our lives, with others we'll lose people we love.

If you don't believe me, just think about the old heroes. Didn't Hercules kill his family? Didn't Theseus forget to change the color of his stupid ship's flag? Didn't Phaeton die because he didn't listen, and tried to fly the sun? And–" She took a deep breath. "And didn't Silena take a bad decision with Luke and Kronos? We can't blame you or anyone for doing something that heroes did and are still doing and will keep doing. It's our destiny. To die and fail"

Chris remained silent, the sounds of the monsters could be heard in the distance. They didn't move for a while and then Chris said, "Such a happy thought, isn't it?"

Clarisse snorted.

"Life isn't about happiness all the time, you know. But we take what we must take and this is all. Now come on, dinner's gonna start soon." She stood up and after a moment Chris followed her.

"So, are you happy?"

Clarisse looked at him in confusion. Who would ask that when they were fighting in a war not long time ago? Because, with all they have suffered, a month is nothing. And how could this guy be all depressed in a moment and in the other be relaxed as if nothing had happened?

"What?"

"Are you happy right now?" he repeated.

She stared at the sky and thought about it. A small grin, but a grin, after all, appeared on her face.

"Yeah, I'm happy right now." They were out of the woods when she spoke again, "What about you?"

He didn't think about it.

"Some days I feel like I didn't deserve to be here, but...but I learned my lesson when I left camp; after all, at the end of the day, everything's fine, or as fine as a demigod's life can be. And...and at those moments I can say that I'm happy."

 ** _..._**

 _ **I'm back!**_ _**And I want to say thank you to all of you that clicked on the Favorite/Follow button, and thank you for the reviews, too!**_

 _ **But also I wanted to thank especially Tgfmcom, who although is in exams is helping me to correct the chapters.**_

 _ **In another point, the reason that I didn't update until tonight it's that I was editing the other chapters.**_

 _ **But anyway, I hope you like it, and thanks, again.**_

 _ **~Lectio out**_

 _ **Pd: if you see any mistake, say it! don't be shy, I'm here in order to learn, so I'm not going to offend.**_


	4. Not the way it should have been

**(This chapter is not corrected because it comes out of nowhere, in the middle of the night)**

 **Also, I don't own the characters.**

 _ **...**_

That wasn't the way that the things should end for her.

Of course, the life of a demigod was dangerous and everyone knows that they could die at any moment, but they had survived two wars. She was one of the best warriors in the camp.

That wasn't the way it should be.

Before, demigod hardly celebrates their eighteenth birthday, but now...now they were beginning to think that maybe they could do it.

After two wars, with the gods taking more care of their children, and with Jupiter Camp, campers discovered that they could go to college and be safe. That they had a bright, new life ahead.

Graduate, form a family, take a breath after a long, troubled life or whatever they wanted.

She had a life ahead. She had the opportunity to do whatever she wanted. But she hasn't anymore.

Because she was Clarisse La Rue and those cyclopses found the camp, _her camp_ , and were trying to destroy it. She was not going to allow that. She was totally not allowing that.

She was going to put that monsters where they deserve: the underworld. She was going to pulverize them.

And she did, there were only two of the five cyclops when everything got worse.

She was fighting alone, after sending one of her sisters back to the camp to ask for some help. Even Clarisse knew when a fight was too much for one or two warriors, but Clarisse never gave up.

So she continued fighting.

All happened very fast.

At the moment that the others campers -two brothers of Clarisse, her sister and a daughter of Demeter- reached the top of the half-blood's hill, the cyclops that Clarisse thought had retreated in fright, appeared from behind her.

The creature swings its hand, and with this, its club. It only took that action to throw Clarisse's body away, hitting it across to the nearest tree. Her spear, the one that she always had with her, was buried inside the other monster's eye, far from the body of its owner.

Screams filled the air. The joy's scream of the Cyclops with the club, the cry of pain of the Cyclops against Clarisse fought... and the horrified and outraged cries of the campers

The Demeter's kid ran to Clarisse, while the others run towards the monsters, their weapons ready.

But it was too late to Clarisse, and with the rest of the monsters on the air, the only thing the rest of the camper could do, was carry her body back to her home, while thunders reasoning on the sky with the indignation and pain of a father that just saw his daughter die, who saw his best warrior fall for never rise again.

.-.-.

That was not the way summer should end.

They had everything planned. When they finished their first year at the University they would spend the summer at camp and then go to Jupiter camp, where they were going to stay a time with their friends until they found a flat or somewhere else to live. They would live with people like them, study and be safe at the same time. They had everything planned, but now Chris did not know what to do.

He was shocked. He couldn't understand what happened. Or what happened after he saw the body.

All he knew is that her shroud and her body, oh gods, _her body_ , was burning. And he was the one who set it on fire.

All he knew is that with each puff of smoke his chances of seeing her alive again were getting smaller and smaller.

He clenched his fist around her bandana. They were going to burn it, too, but he stole it before they could. He stole it one more time.

For the last time.

Nico talk to him, an hour or two ago, and told him that, just as they put drachmas in the person's pocket before burning them, and then, when the person was in the underworld, they still had the drachmas, he could put whatever he wanted, and she was going to have it with her. He recommended writing a letter in Greek, because the more related to Greece the thing was, the more likely it was it would arrive safely. All the time his face expressing that he expected Chris to burst into tears.

Chris didn't cry, maybe because he didn't believe that all that was real, yet. Or maybe because he was trying to imitate Clarisse. She was a leader, and a leader remained strong while the entire world it's freaking out.

Chris didn't liked when people feel sorry for him, they did it many times when they realized he has been insane and he learns to hate it.

But Nico gives him one last chance to say goodbye to Clarisse so he didn't say anything and wrote the letter.

He hardly could remember the full letter, but the end was etched in his mind because when he wrote it, he felt as he was talking to her.

 ** _Anyway, I'm sorry, I stole your bandana. Again._**

 ** _In my defense I had to did it, I really needed to do it._**

 ** _So I'm not sorry. But I guess that you already know that._**

 ** _I love you, more than anything._**

 ** _Say hi to Silena and Beckendorf and everybody there for me._**

 ** _I miss you already. And again, I love you, and I always will._**

 ** _And I have your bandana, so deal with that._**

 ** _..._**

 _ **I don't really know why I wrote this...I should be finishing the other chapter that I started a week ago and I haven't finished yet. I should be writing my oral for my class of English on the next Monday... but you know, sometimes things are not like they are supposed to be xD**_

 _ **Anyway, I'm a curious person and I was wondering something the other day...**_ _**Where I live, persons are just talking in their language, but mixing some words in another one.**_

 _ **You know, like:**_ _Che, vos. ¿Qué estás haciendo,_ _man_ _?_ _ **(Hey, you. What are you doing,**_ _ **man**_ _ **?)**_ _so_ _ **.**_ _..¿qué estás haciendo?_ _ **So**_ _ **...what are you doing? (We use a lot the word 'so', I don't know why xD)**_

 _ **Or we just use phrases: 'I don't know' 'right to my heart' 'Está quente' ('It's hot' or, in my mother tongue: 'Está caliente')**_

 **So, my question is: Do you do this? And if you do, which words/ phrases?**

 **Also, I did a bet with a friend, so I need you to answer others two questions:**

 **Where are you from? And, d** **o you know where Uruguay it is?**

 **Do not google it! If you do it, please first comment your answer.**


	5. Secrets

Secrets.

Chris and Clarisse had many of them. But never between each other.

They had been keeping each other's secrets since forever, without the others even knowing they had anyone. Because that was the way they worked.

But, some of their secrets weren't secrets at all, as Chris realized, seeing Clarisse and her cabin walking across the pavilion with their plates.

There weren't rules for offerings to the gods, but normally campers burnt their food for their parents. But if someone wanted to make an offering for all of the gods, or for another one, it was ok.

Chris himself started to burn his food not only for his father but also for gods like Iris, Morpheus or Eros after the Titan War.

It was a painful thing for Chris to think that maybe one or two minor gods could have been of their part on the war if they did something as simple as burning their food at least once a week.

It took him two weeks to discovered Clarisse's new secret.

It wasn't something that she was hiding but most likely something that she didn't show or said anything about it, but, if you looked closer, you would find out.

Clarisse used to drop on the fire half of the brisket of beef that she would usually eat for lunch, but on the past weeks, she would have two briskets, one of them, cut in the middle.

First, she offers one half to Ares, and then, the other.  
Clarisse never spoke the names out loud, it was always in a whisper, something that hardly anybody –but her brothers and sisters– would notice because nobody really cared about others camper's offer.

So, he needed to read her lips if he wanted to know who was the other god. He missed the name a few times before he could understand it.

It was Dionysus.

He was surprised, but just a bit. Clarisse wasn't an ungrateful person, but he didn't expect that.  
It was a good surprise, anyways. But probably people wouldn't understand why it was such a big thing for him. It wasn't because Clarisse was saying thanks, or because she was doing it regularly in front of the entire camp without any problem or hesitation. It was a big matter for him because she was doing it for him.

She was daily thanking one of the gods that almost the entire camp disliked because he cured his insanity. Because he gave her back the sane Chris she loved.  
The offerings at the camp were the way campers thanked the gods for something, it was the way they had to pray for help. But it was also the way they had to say "I respect you".

And Clarisse was doing all of that because of him.

And he loved her even more just because of it.

And, when Clarisse returned to her seat, she could say that he knew what she was doing and that he would not speak about it if she didn't want it.

And she loved him even more because of it.


	6. I believe in nothing but in us

_**I don't own the characters, and the letter in bold are from the song '100 Suns' of**_ _ **Thirty Seconds to Mars.**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **I believe in nothing**_

Chris doesn't know what to think.

He is a traitor, for the camp and for Kronos's army.

 _ **Not the earth and not the stars**_

He is a traitor for his friends, those who left the camp as he did, and for those who stayed at the camp. He is a traitor for those who are destined to roam the earth and fight with monsters to their death, as he is.

He is a traitor for those who never take care for him or his friend: those who live upon their heads, and that never look down.

 _ **I believe in nothing**_

In the labyrinth, he didn't know what to believe.

What was real, what wasn't. All was the same.

Turn to right, he had no more place to go.

Turn to left, he had no more place to go.

Somebody was shouting. It wasn't going to stop.

Somebody was calling for him.

Wait, he was the one shouting.

And nobody was calling for him.

 _ **Not the day and not the dark**_

In the labyrinth, he couldn't differentiate the night from the day.

When he was still insane, he couldn't either.

But, now that he is out of that place of Hades, and in his mind, other things are more important.

For example, which is the right side?

Which is _his_ side?

 _ **I believe in nothing**_

Where does he belong?

To the gods' army?

To the Kronos's army?

 _ **But the beating of our hearts**_

All he can trust is that he is alive now.

He can fix any mistake, any wrong decision.

Because he has another opportunity.

 _ **I believe in nothing**_

But, was it a good decision to follow his heart? He follow it when he left, and he was following it when he decided to stay...

 _And the gods were doing so many things wrong, that he really thought that they needed to be put in_

 _their place…_

 _ **One hundred suns until we part**_

 _ **I believe in nothing**_

The gods deserve to be putting in their place...but, it wasn't a god that cured him, was it?

So, maybe, they care for them, _for him. In their own way, but they care after all._

 _And maybe that place they deserve is not the place Kronos used to thinks._

 _ **Not in sin and not in God**_

It's not until after he followed Clarisse when she has gotten angry because of him commenting that perhaps Percy was right saying she and her cabin needed to fight in the war, that he realized.

 _ **I believe in nothing**_

He doesn't belong to the Kronos's army

He doesn't belong to the gods' army

 _ **Not in peace and not in war**_

He isn't going to the war. Yes, he doesn't want Kronos to destroy the Olympus or the camp, and he wants to help his friend, but he doesn't belong to any army.

Therefore, he is not going to fight for the gods, or against them.

 _ **I believe in nothing**_

For some time, he was really confused. He didn't know what to think, what to believe.

What was right, what was wrong. What was the side he preferred to fight for.

To him, the gods weren't right, they didn't care for their kids, they only remembered them when they need help.

But Kronos's way wasn't right, neither, as he can see now. The titan was just too cruel and selfish.

To him, none of the armies were right.

 _ **But the truth in who we are.**_

But now he knows. He doesn't belong to any army.

Maybe he is still a little confused- but he can say with all security that the only thing that matter to him, the only thing that he believes, is that he is alive.

He is alive and on the right side:

Clarisse's side.

 _ **...**_

 _ **Forgive me for the long wait, but my life was a big mess, with all of those exams that I had**_ _ **(and that I still have until December, 7-7... ) so I didn't write a lot.**_

 ** _And I know that this one is short, but, there is another one that is longer and just needs to be corrected on the way ;)_**

 ** _Thanks for every review, follow and favorite, and for those who are still reading this!_**

 _ **About the chapter... well, I always wondered what I would do if I was in the same situation that Chris was (you know, he was on the Kronos's army for a reason, and then, he is on the camp one more time, with all his friends, friends that he betrayed, and all that...) and this came to me. All that confusion, repentance, all that indecision.**_

 _ **That is what the chapter is about: That he can't make a decision, that he doesn't know what to thinks, what to believe, but at the end of the day, the only things that he knows, that he believes, is that he loves Clarisse.**_


	7. Nightmares

The majority usually think that Clarisse isn't able to be afraid of nothing.

But, like everyone, she has fears.

And one of them was the labyrinth.

That dark, scary place where her boyfriend lost his mind, and the only place she would refuse to return.

The place where most of her worst nightmares take place.

She hates it, and she hates the fact that she wakes up at midnight every night because of a stupid dream. She can deal with demigod's dreams, but labyrinth's nightmares?

That's a big no-no.

That bad dreams always make she feel uncomfortable and unsafe, and every time she can hear her dad's voice calling her a weak.

While she was at the camp, she said herself to put her shit together and then to go straight to the Arena and destroy some dummies.

To forget everything about the dream and go on.

At the camp she said herself to act like an honorable Ares' daughter. Brave, and always confident. Without fears and walking with the head up.

But, now? At the small flat, where she and Chris are living during the college, and that they can barely afford? In the dark, where nobody can see them?

Yeah, there she can act as she wants. And that's, hiding her face on her boyfriend's shoulder, listening to him talking about this and this other, about all and about nothing.

Sometimes, with her making fun of him or his histories.

Between the both of them and their demigod's dreams and nightmares, they hardly sleep very well at all. But they always try to be there, holding and comforting each other.

Chris usually talks to Clarisse until she fell asleep, and she tries to comfort him until he can sleep again.

Because, while she only acts as she needs of somebody taking care of her, he always wakes up crying disconsolately. And she is the one to always be there to hug him, his face on her chest, her arms around him, pushing him closer. Her words coming out of her mouth as a spell, making him feel better, maybe not immediately but little by little.

One of the few things that Clarisse really wants is to have a normal life, and with all the nightmares and little talks at the night she hardly has one. And maybe she can't really sleep as much as she wants for the same reason, but at least she feels safe now, and not as she need to act stronger than she is.

 _ **I'm back (?**_

 _ **(Pretend that all that good and reasonable reasons why I didn't update before are here, thanks)**_

 _ **-chapter without correction-**_

 _ **Hope you like it -and that you are still there xD-**_

 _ **In another point, this story has more than a thousand of views, thank you, you guys!**_


	8. Kiss me and run away

**I only own the plot of this story, not the characters or the pj's world.**

 **...**

The summer was over and twelve-years-old Clarisse was in the woods, spear and knife ready for any monsters coming out of nowhere. After all, it was late in the night, and they were known for surprising demigods that were lost- or that were trying to get some fun hunting them, as Clarisse was doing.

Normally she would be getting herself into a fight with someone, but almost every camper was at home now, and the few others were too worried about the whole situation of Luke leaving and betraying the camp to fight.  
So she was after those that would never go anywhere- or would be too worried to fight: monsters.

As she marked another tree with her initials -so she could know for where she came from- some twigs snapped nearby behind her. Turning around and putting her spear in a defensive way, she waited for the monster, just to look confused when Chris came inside the clearing she was. His eyes on the floor, his hands trying to take out all the twigs and leaves that were on his hair, he definitely didn't know Clarisse was there.

Frowning, she tried to catch his attention: "What are you doin' here, punk?"

The surprise showed in his face just for a second before he grinned.

"I can ask you the same, I think" As Clarisse raised an eyebrow, he continued, with a shrug "I got lost. About, just two or three hours ago"

"You got lost, _just for two or three hours_? In the middle of _a forest full of monsters_? Are you crazy or just stupid?"

Chris needed to laugh at that. "You act like that never happened before" In fact, demigods getting lost in the woods wasn't uncommon, perhaps not a thing that happened every day- but once or twice a month. "By the way, I think you're the crazy one here. What were you thinking about doing all those marks on the trees?" He was getting closer while they were talking, only stopped once upon he was a few steps from the tree. He put one finger on the nearest mark. "Are you trying to make any dryad furious or...?"

"At least I'm not going to get lost" Clarisse mumbled, pretending she was angry, or at least, irritated because of him. But she wasn't, and both knew it. Because that was the way they were around each other.

"You have a point there" He moved again so he wasn't in front of the tree anymore, but of Clarisse. Meanwhile, she moved her spear away so she wouldn't hurt him with the spearhead by accident. She wasn't _that_ bad person.

"Of course I have, little punk."

"I'm older than you, Clarisse…"

"Do I look like I care?"

"...and I have a name, you know." She was still holding her spear near to her, but he ignored it, taking another step.

"I'm going to call you by the names I wan-… " she stopped herself. "What the Hades you think you are doing, punk?"

He just had put one of his hands on her hip while he took a last step.

"You're dead." He had a smile -a big, weird smile- on his face, as he saw the exact moment when the realization came to her.

Along the years, Chiron had invented many ways to train: someones dangerous, someones funny, someones that nobody remembers…

But, one everybody at camp knew and liked was the One-touch-and-you-are-out.  
It was one of the first ways of training they did: as many campers as they wanted, fighting and trying to touch each other, and at the same time defending themselves of others attacks. If someone touched you in any way- with his body or weapon- you were out. The only one to not be touched was the winner.

It has always taken the most competitive side of all the campers- the newbies or the older campers.  
It quickly became a joke among some campers, and although they weren't training, they would touch somebody who was distracted and say 'You're death', declaring themselves as winners.  
That selected group of people included Chris, who could actually never beat Clarisse at it.  
Until now.

But, after all, that wasn't the reason he was smiling. But because of the deal they had made after the last training they had together- where he promised her that the next time he would win. The deal where she promised that she would let him do whatever he wanted to her cabin if he won, where he changed that price for a kiss and ran away before she could even protest.

He promised himself to not run away anymore if he ever has the possibility to kiss her.

And with his hand on her hip, so close that if he inclined just a bit his head, they lips were going to touch, he had the opportunity. But he knew Clarisse, and he will never oblige her to do something. So, despite that he could kiss her if he wanted, he asked for it.

Twelve-years-old Clarisse's heart was beating rampant, her mind running as they thought did. Say no? Say yes? Punch him in the face? She didn't know.

Or perhaps, for the first time in her life, do what an older person said to her some time ago:

"When you don't know what to do, close your eyes, and don't think about anything. Just follow your instincts. As a demigod, your instincts are better."

And she did the last option. She didn't think, just closed her eyes and follow her instincts.

She kissed him, a shudder running through her body, and a tickling starting there where his hand was touching her. Her spear made a deaf sound when she dropped it.

When they apart of each other, both were smiling.  
It wasn't long before Chris inclined again.

They didn't spend a lot of time in the woods after that.

...

When the sun was on the sky again, and the campers were having breakfast serenely, the only person that wasn't in the mood for anything was Clarisse, who couldn't help herself but look for Chris.

Because he was nowhere.

…

When the sun was over and everybody was in bed, Clarisse tried to convince herself that he just got lost in the woods again, although she knew that it was not true.

The next day, after the campfire, she reported him to Chiron as another camper who had left the camp.  
It hurt her as nothing did before, but she still tried to go on with her life. There wasn't anything she could do, anyway.

And when Thalia's tree was dying, and when she got the opportunity to go on a mission, she took it without hesitation. Because it was her opportunity to make her father proud, and, after all, the only person who would miss her if she died...well, she didn't even know if that person was still alive.

…

When he was back, not being himself, she used to wanted to punch something, somebody, all the time. The impotence she felt was taking the best of her.

She wanted to punch herself, for not being smarter and for not having realized that all those comments against the gods weren't just comments of an angry boy during a bad moment. She wanted to punch herself for couldn't forget the moment when she saw him for the last time before he left the camp.

She wanted to punch herself for couldn't do something for him at this moment, when he was dying, crying and screaming because of all the horror he had seen.

She wanted to punch him. _How could he run away?_

However, She wanted to take away all his fear, to take away _his insanity_. _Maybe he made wrong decisions, but he didn't deserve that, right?_

She wanted so bad to make he felt better, to make him forget all about the labyrinth.

She wanted Chris back. The real, sane, Chris, not the broken one, that couldn't say one sentence with sense.

She wanted to cry out her impotence, all her pain, but she didn't.

Because, if she did, if she goes down, who was going to take care of Chris? Who was going to keep him alive? Who was going to be the pillar of the camp, if the one that never feels afraid of nothing, go down? What will her father think if she cries because of a traitor?

No, she couldn't go down, she couldn't cry. She needed to be strong. For the camp. For her father. For him.

When Dionysius come and fixed what was wrong with him, Clarisse didn't know what to do.

She used to talk a lot with him after she realized that made he felt better. That made him act less...insane.

She used to tell him that he was out of that place, that he was going to be better when Dionysus come. But now, she didn't know what to say to him.

So, she turned around, and look to the god on the room.

"Thank you, lord Dionysius. We're both really grateful" The only thing that Clarisse needed to oblige herself to say was the part of 'lord'. Not that she would admit it, anyway.

"yeah, whatever." Dionysius shrugged, as he didn't care anything. But he had his eyes a little red, and his voice was weak.

Both god and girl looked at the boy. He didn't talk, he didn't even move, his eyes always on the god. After a few more seconds in silence, the god leaves the room and both demigods stayed alone.

Clarisse closed her eyes and counted to ten before opened it and take a step closer.

He didn't act.

She took another one.

He finally moved his eyes so they were looking each other.

Another step.

Her name came out of his lips like a whisper.

Her shoulders started to shake.

She took another step, and she was next to his bed now.

He said her name again.

She fell on her knees.

Slowly he put one hand on her cheek.

She has started to cry.

Cry for all the pain he felt, for all those days that he wasn't by her side. For those days she didn't know where he was, or if he was still alive. For those days he was with her physically, but his mind was in another place.

For all the fear she felt. For all the desperation and impotence that made her felt sick.

And she started to cry for relief. Because he was there, physically and mentally. Because after all, he was safe.

And with her.

 **...**

 **Hi, there. Hope you would like this one. I hardly remember what it says, since I wrote it little by little every day between my lessons xD I finished it some time ago, but I couldn't find the time to update.**

 **thank you all for the reviews.**

 **-Chapter without correction-**


	9. Hedge's opinion

**I only own the plot, you guys already know this.**

 _ **...**_

Rounded of people they didn't talk a lot with each other. They didn't act like the other doesn't exist at all, but they didn't look each other or seem as they were a really close couple that practically knew everything about the other.

But if you saw with more attention, you were able to see that they were always touching in some way- she stretched on him, his arm around her, or just stand up so close that their shoulders were touching.

After the long time they were separated, touching was their way to know that the other was right there and was not going to go away anymore. At least, that was what Hedge figure out, after seeing the couple for a time now.

When he was at the camp, he liked to see- see, not spy or anything creepy like that, just see- those two. They made a strange, odd couple, he was not going to deny it, but they made things work, and he wanted to know how. After all, Clarisse was the first demigod he was entrusted to take to the camp, and, although he will deny it in front of her and everyone, the girl made herself a little special place in his heart with her violent and rude attitude.

She was, definitely, his favorite cupcake.

However, with all the time he spends looking at them, he realized that Clarisse's bad behavior and savage attitude was less than before she started dating this Hermes's kid. He didn't like that.

In nature, only the strongest can survive, and if she made herself a nice-kind-hey-you-monsters-eat-me-girl she was going to be definitely not one of the strongest.

But his old satyr's nerves calmed down when he saw her training. She was just training with some siblings, but, man, he knew that there was a reason for his special affection for that Aries' child.

She was still brutal, her fight skills were _mortal,_ and if she just accepted to watch the best films ever- Chuck Norris' films, of course- maybe someday she'll be as good as he was.

So, Hedge didn't say anything about her being a little softer when she was with that boy.

Their relationship was, after all, something that he couldn't understand but that he wasn't going to question.  
If his girl was happy and safe, and able to destroy everything she wanted to destroy, he was ok with it.

 _ **...**_

 _ **A little thing that my mind came with a little ago, and I decided to publish tonight, because...because why not?.**_

 ** _I really think that, in some way, Clarisse see Hedge as a father or something, and that Hedge sees her as a daughter, or at least, as his girl. And I always wanted to know what he thinks about Clarisse's relationship with Chriss. I think that he isn't the type of guy that likes to interfere in other's relation, but who knows?_**

 ** _Perhaps, I'll make something like this again, but with another character (Quiron, Dionysus, or whoever you want) if you want it_**

 ** _Hope you enjoyed it!_**


	10. Of patrol and sleep

**I only own the plot of this story, not the characters or the pj's world.**

 _ **...**_

"Clarisse, gods, you need eat, you need to sleep...forget about the romans for a second, anyone can take your place...please?" Chris's words were as useful as if they were ordering some wall to move away. Clarisse wasn't going to move if wasn't for defending the camp.

The camp had returned to doing patrol since the problem with the romans camp, with was not a problem at all, but since Clarisse was not going to allow anyone but her to do it...it was complicated.

And, as did all the problem in were Clarisse was involved, the situation resided on Chris's shoulders. Not that he protested, his girlfriend wasn't sleeping or eating and if he was able to changes it…

"We need our best warrior" he tried again, a new strategy this time "and we can't have it if you are starving and too tired to ever stand up" Her pride and her sense of responsibility was always his last move with her, but, damn it if he hadn't tried everything by now.

She wasn't even going to look at him.

"Our best warriors are somewhere under us going on with who knows what, right now" So that was it. She was feeling guilty and impotent for Percy and Annabeth's situation and this was the way she was trying to avoid it.

Chris sighed "they're gonin' to be ok. They always are" he waited for a second "they need to be... But anyway, they need you to be here for us, for the youngest, those that you say that hate when came to you for help, but love to teach how to fight, despite they don't even know how to hold a sword…

And, for Hermes, Clarisse, I need you to be your real one, no this one that doesn't care about her health. It's ok that you're worried and..."

"Don't came to me with your therapy, you punk. I'll eat something when I'm done here if you just shut up now." He didn't know what makes her change her mind, because she was a big stubborn girl and some words weren't going to make it different...but he wasn't going to complain, anyway. Despite her words, there was a little soft, playful tone in her tone that only came when they were alone and she was really tired. He wasn't going to pull her that hard, after all.

So Chris gives a little glance to his watch and spoke calmly.

"Ok, and you are done...right now"

Clarisse shakes her head. "I'm not done before another half of hour"

"I changed patrol's time. Actually, Mark should be here."

"You did…? Why would you…?" she finally turned around, her eyes narrowing, before rolled them. "Anyways, I shouldn't be surprised.

No, she shouldn't.

They waited there for a few minutes before they could see Mark, shouting all the way up the hill about how nobody had informed him about the change until some minutes ago.

Chris smiled to him as he took his place, Clarisse already going down the hill without a word.

"I owe you one, dude" Chris said.

"If you can make her sleep more than an hour, all the cabin is going to owe you one" Mark's worried look was on his stepsister. "Just take care of her, right?"

"Yeah, right" He put one hand on his shoulder before starting to run after Clarisse.

...

They didn't say anything, but both of them know where they were going.

Most of the campist had a special place where disappear when they need to do it.

Clarisse and Chris's place was the basement of the Big House. Not because of the good memories, but because.

Maybe for routine, Chris thought, or maybe because nobody went there.

But they had been going to the basement for a while now, and it was quite comfortable.

The mess he had for the bed where he used to sleep was still there, but with new sheets that he stole from his cabin. The boxes of reserves of ambrosia and strawberry were also there, but they took the time to put all them orderly in a corner so they will have some more space to move around.

There was also a little freezer that he still didn't know where come from. When he asked, Clarisse just shrugged and said that his brothers give it to her when he was still mad. The conversation finished there, as no one of them like to talk about that time.

But now, he didn't care about where come from. He took some snacks and threw them to Clarisse.

"Eat"

She snorted.

"Well, thank you, Sir. Amiability" but she did as she was told to.

Chris let himself to fall on the bed, looking at her, a snack in his hand as well.

"Stop staring at me, you freak" Clarisse sat on some box, and put her boots on top of another one.

Despite all that they had done, the space wasn't much, so Chris just had to sit and lean to kiss her head.

"Whatever you say"

They remained silent after that until they finished their food and Chris talk again.

"Would you came to sleep, now?"

Clarisse rolled her eyes again, but she laid down, closing her eyes immediately.

Chris smiled and closed his eyes as well, his purpose done.

 _ **...**_

 _ **Too tired to even look for mistakes, so... sorry if the text doesn't make sense at all :p**_


	11. Soulmates Au

**First of all, this is a Soulmates Au where everything you write in your body, it showed in your soulmate's body as well. They aren't demigods, nor have dyslexia or ADHD.**

 _ **...**_

A world where almost nobody has a soulmate, it a world where if you do, you are lucky, but you are really, really lucky if you found him or her.

Clarisse is really, really lucky, but she doesn't care.

She knows that the boy who has class in the room next to her is the boy that the destiny think that should be her mean to be. He writes stuff for her all the time, every day. But she doesn't care.

She doesn't care about people and their stupid-not-even-good jokes about her having non soulmate, -as if they have one- just because she wears a jacket every time and they can't see her arms all full of blue ink.

And she doesn't care to show them, because she doesn't care about people. And she can beat them up if they are getting really annoying.

But he cares about the lonely girl that scare everyone and that reply his words with things that will make his mother freak out if she sees his arms, and with little doodles even worse.

Not that he cares about that specific thing, once he figured out her sense of humor and learned to like it.

So he writes in his arms as much as possible, between class, or on them, as he is doing right now.

The sensation on her wrist- like someone is writing with a needle in her wrist, not with a pen in another body- is very familiar to her now, after a year and a half, when they were able to write each other. So, she just looks down at her arm and read the few words:

 _"History is borin' "_

She rolled her eyes. Chris, as he said time ago was his name, get bored really quickly, and she seems to be his way to escape of it.

Other words were added:

 _"Mrs. Protz looks like a poodle, doesn't she?"_

Mrs. Protz indeed did look like a poodle, but she will not write back.

And he knows it, so he just writes again, as he always does.

 _"It's a shame that she has the attitude of an angry raccoon"_

And with the message comes a little, odd doodle of such a thing, she supposed, was an angry raccoon.

She looks at the teacher still writing some boring stuff on the board before she takes a pen to write as well- not that she cares about getting catch and taking out of the room anyway…

Smirking she added a little stick man, its head in the animal hand with a pool of blood right under it.

Another stickman was drawn, this time with its head on its place, bigger and laughing.

Then, she writes his name by the side of the stick drawing without a head and her own name by the other stickman.

Some minutes after the blue ink showed again.

 _"You made me laugh. Mrs.I-look-like-a-poodle-but-I-am-an-angry-raccoon take me out."_

 _"Totally your fault," She writes back, and, before he could protest, she adds "I didn't have a gun on your head and tell you to laugh" and then "I totally have to get a gun". Because this was how most of their conversations go._

 _"I thought that your parents were on the militia"_

 _"They are but they don't will let me take their 'babies'"_

 _"That makes me more comfortable, in some way"_

 _"Shut up, you punk_ " and, quickly, she added _"and don't say that you aren't talking or I'm going out just to punch your face"_

"You know me too well ;)"

The hour pass and another come and pass as well until he wrote back.

 _"What on the hell it means 'Arriver les mains dans les poches'?"*_

 _"I think that I told you last time that I won't help any more with french?"_

 _"You did. What it means?"_

 _"It an expression, you moron"_

 _"And it means..."_

 _"That you are an idiot"_

 _"Auch"_ A stickman touching its chest and with a painful face was next to the word.

 _"I'm not tellin' you"_

An ugly dog face with big eyes was drawn in her arm -his version of puppy eyes, she thinks- and she almost smile. His doodles were totally untalented but still cute in some way.

 _"2-b (avec insouciance, sans être préparé) That the answer to the third exercise you cry boy._

 _"k'. What's mean?"_

 _"That I'll kill you someday. It an expression used when someone goes somewhere important without preparation, like you with your tests._

 _Can I have some peace, now?"_

 _"Just because you ask for it ;)"_

There was no peace at all, anyway, the -still oddly, ugly, untalented- doodles that he absently draws in his arm didn't let her concentrate in her math problem. Oh, well, maths sucked anyway...

And at least she will have the opportunity to irritate him on her way to her house- that he insisted in taking with her since their houses weren't too far away.

_._._._

A tiny point, that all she did.

If he was awake, he would see it, if he was not, maybe the sensation would get him up or…

She felt a little pain in her arm and a few words show in it:

 _"U K? It's almost 3 am"_ His calligraffiti was messy, not the uniform letter that was usual of him, so he was sleeping or awake but really sleepy.

Her hand was still trembling as well as her body, but she still write back.

 _"nightmare"_

 _"again?"_

 _"yeah"_

 _"wanna talk about it?"_

 _"No."_ She finished it with a point, just for making sure he understands, despite she knows that he already understand that when she said 'No' in something like this, it means 'No'.

He didn't answer, just rolled the pen around his arm, letting a trace of blue ink that Clarisse start to follow with her finger.

After a moment, he starts to write.

Small stories about how he adapted himself to the new country and language come first, then, some stupid, silly jokes, some fun fact about his life, and oddly doodles everywhere.

The sun rises outside and he was still holding his pen and rolling it around his arm full of blue ink, and little red points here and there that she made to let he knows that she was still awake.

He doesn't wash his arms, and neither does she.

And when she saw him at school later on the day, and he winked and waved at her with two fingers on his forehead, she could see the ink below the sleeves of his t-shirt and her heart started to beat faster, she thought that she might be falling in love with this boy.

And she doesn't care.

 _ **...**_

 _ **This comes totally different of what I was expecting but...neh, hope you like it anyway and can forgive me for any mistake.**_

 _ **(like seriously, this is a total mess)**_

 _ **For the one that asks for more chapters about nightmares, this is not the chapter you ask for, someday I will do it, (I don't even know when I'll be able to update again so...none idea of when I'm going to write this one xD) but yeah, this was supposed to be two chapter, one all about the soulmate thing, and the other about the Soulmate Au and the nightmare together but it didn't work very well, so this comes \\(*-*)/.**_

 ** _Anyway, that it._**

 ** _*Always had this feeling about Clarisse and French. I suppose that it's because of her name and because of Silena (Afrodite's daughters can speak French, and I like to imagine both of them talking some French to each other) so in this Au, Clarisse is good at it._**

 ** _-if you see any mistake in the translation or the explication of the expression tell me, I'm just on my first year of French so...yeah, I may need help with it-_**


	12. Nightmares 2

**I only own the plot of this story, not the characters or the pj's world.**

 **...**

She has been injured a lot of times before. A few broken ribs, and some others bones, too.

She is used to the pain by now. She had learned to fight even if she's dying.

But this pain, an emotional one, of a heart that is breaking little by little, is something she is never going to get used to.

She maybe can fight with a broken arm, but she can't even breathe right when Chris is in that way, crying and sobbing, his entire body shaking and trembling.

An inside part of her is dying by only seeing him in that state.

There was a time where she would hide it, but now she can't care less, and all where her head is in, is the need to calm him. Is the need to be strong a little more, just for him, until he can calm down, and can breathe normally.

The need to be strong for him until he realized he isn't anymore in that horrible place, that he is safe now, and that she will die before he is taken into there one more time.

So she put her arms tighter around him and say the same things over and over so he will know that she is there for him, and he can go to sleep again.

And it doesn't matter if in someplace inside her, she is screaming and trembling because this is exactly the way were before when he was mad. It doesn't matter that the knot in her throat is hardly letting her speak, all that matters it that she needs to calm him down.

And she will, as she always does.

 **...**

It always warms Chris's heart to know that he is one of the persons, if not the only one, in who Clarisse trust with her true personality. But, at the same time, it hurting him, because it means he is able to see her in that state.

Because it means he can see the fear in her eyes, and that he needs to be stronger than he really is, because, in that moments he is her pillar, as she is and was for him so many times before.

It hurt him, but he will never fail to her again if he can avoid it, so he tries to comfort her in the only way he knows.

Someone telling stories to him until he fell asleep is an old memory he has from when he was a little child, and when he discovered that Clarisse has nightmares as he does, he tried it.

When he found out that it works to her as it used to work with him, he starts to dig in his head for old stories that could calm her, or at least distract her.

He is sure that he has told the same stories at least two or three times by now, but she never has complained.

And he will never tell her, but when she is finally asleep again, he remains awake, letting his hands play with her hair, because the mere idea of the person he loves most suffering as Clarisse does, wring his heart in the same way his nightmares does.

 **...**

Demigods' dreams, labyrinth's nightmares, and some random monster's attack, with the addition of the college, has both of them tired as hell, but when they are just chilling around, making fun of each other or just remain silent, they know that they will never change the life they have now.

 **...**

 _ **Long time, uh?**_

 _ **But I'm finally here and I only have only one exam more, so who knows, maybe I'll be updating more...who knows...**_

 _ **Anyway, as always, if you see any mistake, let me know.**_

 _ **(If there is anyone still there, thanks to you!)**_


	13. Craziness

**I don't** **own PJ world**

Clarisse hates the word craziness, and all its synonyms: insane, madness; all and every single one of them.

 _(It's true, pure hatred.)_

It makes her heart beat with anger, sending boiling blood through her veins. She just can't think clearly.

 _(But anger and hatred is only a part of it.)_

What she hates more is the meaning of the word. And the memories, and the feelings of impotence and pain that just by listening, just by thinking of the meaning of the word, she feels.

 _(Make it stop, make it stop all of this.)_

Nobody notices it.

 _(Never any does.)_

In the first days after Chris was sane once again, everyone in the camp tried to avoid mentioning it whenever they were close, so it was easy not to deal with that.

 _(The calm before the storm.)_

But when people relaxed again and began acting like themselves, the word was everywhere:

"Are you _crazy_ , dude? Takin' that sword for capture the flag?"

 _(Stop using it, stop.)_

"You must be _insane_ , Andrew, saying all that about the Athena cabin in front of her!"

 _(Stop it, stop it.)_

It made she freak out, but not for the first time she tried to comport herself. Ares' kids didn't freak out because of words.

Ares' kids were warriors and warriors didn't break down, and for sure they didn't fear words.

 _(Be brave, be reckless, be aggressive, be fearless.)_

But Clarisse didn't just hate the word, she fears it.

When Silena was trying to refer to the time where Chris was back at the big house's basement she just couldn't put up with it and wanted to close her eyes, put her hands in her hears and shout to shut up her and stop her of saying it.

 _(Don't say it, don't say it, don't say it.)_

But she didn't do anything but pretend that she didn't listen to her talking and talking. She was an Ares' daughter, after all.

 _(Be brave, be reckless, be aggressive, be fearless, don't let them take you down.)_

She stopped using it as an insult. She knows what it really means, now.

 _(Horrible, scary things that she tries to forget.)_

Hermes' children stop for a while, too, but they start saying it again. They don't understand, they weren't there.

And they'd never be if she can avoid it.

 _(They will never see what she saw, they will never hear what she heard, no if she can avoid it.)_

Chris has marked her life in many ways, and not all are good.

 _(But neither are all bad.)_

 ** _M_ y computer broke out and I'm writing from my cel which is driving me crazy...so you for sure will found more mistake than usual (and I'm not that sure about updating more often, I'm writing another one just right now but I can't really figure out how my cel works so...)**

 **This one was a random idea that it has been on my head for a while now, and I just wanted to get rid of it; hope you guys like it anyways**


	14. Photographs

**Don't own PJ world**

Chiron can't help himself but have a stronger bond with some demigods. Annabeth and Percy were the lucky ones this time, and as usual, he has some photos of them, so he'll have something to remember them.

But they are not the only ones of their generation of whose photos he has- keepen deep inside of one of his beloved boxes, there was an envelope with a few photographs, showing a pair different of demigods growing up.

In the oldest one, it could be seen a nine years old girl with dirty blond hair covering with snow a ten years old boy, who, despite the situation he was, was laughing as if he was having the best day of his life. There was a smirk in her face as well.

Chiron remembers that day very well. It was winter and he had let the snow fell inside the barrier for the last days, as his last hope to cheer up the round-year children that seemed a little down.

He couldn't really remember the reason for the general mood, but the snow seemed to work. Mostly.

He quickly learned that Clarisse, being raised in Phoenix, couldn't put up with winter or cold in general. All the places where she could train unable because of the weather, and her cabin empty, she locked herself, just going out for meals, and always with at least two or three coat on, and more irritable than ever.

It was one of those time the reckless child known as Chris, took snow from the floor and throw it across the pavilion, his training helping him to hit Clarisse's head.

Immediately a snow fight began, the food forgotten in the dishes. Snowballs flying from one table to another, laughter as background, everybody was trying to hit whoever without being hitten themselves.

Except for two children. They fight became a personal one very quickly and, sooner rather than later, the youngest was on top of the other, covering his chest with the cold substance and trying to stuff something inside his clothes as well, screaming for revenge.

He had his old camera with him, since he was using it to get some new photos of the improvements they had made, and he did not hesitate to take a picture of them, when Clarisse seemed to be tired and content herself to spread a little more snow on the laughing child.

When he comes back to the big house, he wrote the names and the date in the back and saved it in the box.

* * *

Two years later a new one was added.

It was taken at the night and was quite darken, but two figures could be seen at the beach, one on the top of a rock and the other on the bottom, its arms moving as it was explaining something.

Laughters could be heard perfectly that night.

They accepted the punishment and washed the dishes over the weekend, but Chiron could never get from them what they were doing outside so late at the night.

* * *

The third and fourth were taken weeks after the battle of the labyrinth. The battle itself and his broken ankle gave him time to think, and his thoughts something to be nostalgic for, and so he began to take more his camera with him.

That evening they have had the first capture the flag after the battle and he saw a lot of his children went to bed earlier.

But even with just the older ones, the fire was pretty high and more bright that it was on the last days, which allowed Chiron to see a sleepy, recently claimed Chris who was among the children of Ares, probably still not confident enough to sit with his own brothers and sisters, but forced to attend by the girl.

On the photos, his head laid on Clarisse's shoulder, his left hand above her right hand.

Meanwhile, she was talking with one of her brother in the third picture, while in the fourth her own head was laid on his, her eyes closed.

* * *

The fifth picture was a year after the Gea war, the summer before they went to college.

He didn't take this one, however, but was one of his favorites- it showed pretty much how they were.

One of the new Hermes' child had taken his beloved camera away and was everywhere taking photos of everyone. She managed to catch Chris having lunch at Ares's table despite being banned, with one arm around Clarisse's waist, like one of the strange displays of affection he or the camp could barely see.

Being the youngest child the 11 cabin had, Chloe was always under watch, even if sometimes they let her get away with it, with the picture as proof: it was pretty obvious that Chris has seen her since he was winkling playful to the camera.

Clarisse anyway, was pointing with a fork, with food still in it, to one of his sister in what seemed to be a typical argument of them, oblivious about what was happening at her back.

* * *

For the time the sixth was taken, he got used to taking his camera to capture. They were 23 and 24, staying for the summer and practically adopted one of Clarisse's brother as their protected.

The boy was just six when he comes to the camp, running away from an abusive home.

Not being claimed during the first month, Chris was the first to take care of him, letting him know that his father cared and, no matter how long it would be, he would send a signal.

He started to teach him how to fight, seeing instantly the resemblance between the child and Clarisse's siblings in the process.

After she was told and knowing his story, she started to know him better, and took him under her watch, becoming very protective of him, even after he was reclaimed.

You can still saw a few scars in his legs in the picture, where he is on Clarisse' shoulders, the other team' flag tied around his neck as a cape, his fist on the air and his smile brighter than anything else, his past momentarily forgotten.

Chris was on the background, against a tree, smiling with proud, even when he was wearing a blue helmet, which marked him as the other team.

Chiron can remember how Chris let the kid run by his side with the flag, and how Clarisse put together her plan so he could take it, being evident to everyone's eyes- but the kid's, probably- that they wanted him to remember his first capture as an Ares' child with happiness. It showed him how much they had grown up.

Although they were still a bit childish, sometimes- Clarisse'll never stop fighting over silly things with Percy, and Chris won't stop helping his younger siblings to prank others campist, that was for sure.

And maybe they weren't the half-bloods that were closer to him, but he saw them growing up. He saw them take hard decisions, make mistakes, and rise once again and carry on.

And he doesn't want to forget them.

* * *

 **Merry Christmas!**

 **(or a late happy Hanukkah, I suppose)**

 **And an early Happy new year!**


	15. Another no-too normal day

**I don't own pj's world**

Clarisse sigh and dropped her pen in the table with frustration, seeing as it rolled all over the table until it reached the border and fell. She had been working in her assignment about the second world war for what seemed like ages, but there was still 13 pages waiting to be written.

The fact that she had to write it on with a pen- instead of a computer like every other person did in her college- didn't help with her mood at all.

Stupid technologic and whoever decided that it should attract monsters.

She stretched out to pick up the pen again- after all the assignment was for the end of the week and wouldn't write itself- when the sound of footsteps outside caught her attention.

Her hand immediately reached for the knife in her belt, but her fingers frozen, barely touching it, as the sound of keys came of the other side of the door.

She closed her eyes for a second and breathed out. Even after three months of a well-known routine, and knowing by heart Chris's schedule, she couldn't put back her instincts even for a second, no after a whole life training. Monsters attacking them randomly now that they were outside the barrier didn't make things better, either.

She just wished she could have a brief once in a while. A day off, or something.

Seeing Chris coming in, she knew the luck was not by her side.

The first thing that Clarisse noticed was the bandage in his right arm, covered with a big bloodstain. Then, his pale face, and the hole in his pants.

She didn't look for any more details- practically jumping from her site, she hurried to help him reach the nearest chair, taking her bag in her way.

She looked for the emergency supplies she has always there and sitting in front of Chris she started to unwrap the bandage, revealing a cut from his elbow to his wrist. It wasn't really deep but has obviously made him lost a lot of blood.

She started washing the injury with nectar and was half away of wrapping it again when she finally asked what has happened.

"Cyclops. 2 of them." He stretched trying to reach her bag with his other arm without success while he was explaining. Absently, still concentrated in the bandage and his words, she gave it a soft pull with her feet so he could catch it. Rising it he rummaged until he found a packet with ambrosia. "They were kids, practically babies, but they take me by surprise in the way back home."

Finish with the bandage, she let his arm and looked at him, frowning. Cyclopses were not a strange thing in Arizona. Actually, they were everywhere with no real reason- maybe their preference for fire made they like hot weather too*- but the Cyclopses weren't the problem.

"You didn't check your supplies" It wasn't a question, but a statement. For her, It was pretty obvious, since the last time she makes Chris check them, he had only a few pieces of ambrosia and no nectar. He told her that he was going to replenish them later from their major supply in the apartment.

That was three weeks ago, and they were supposed to check them every week. If Chris didn't have ambrosia with him before was because he didn't check what he has run out of and replenish it.

Chris gave her a small sorry-for-messing-up smile and looked around, the pile of books and paper catching his attention.

"Oh, are you still doing that? How is goin'?"

She raised an eyebrow at what has to be the worst intent to change the subject that her boyfriend has ever done. Ignoring her gesture he took a book from the pile.

"'Ghost Soldiers: The Forgotten Epic Story of World War II's Most Dramatic Mission**" he read "Just one more time, why exactly are you studying History?"

"Because is the only course that the only university that would accept both of us has that I liked. And is Military History***, no just 'History'. It not the same." She winced, her voice had come out more aggressively that she would like. She didn't mind using it with anyone else, but using it with Chris was something different, even if it was no her intention to.

"Uhum" he turned page after page, not really looking at them for a while before putting the book down and look at her again.

"You look kinda stressed" He didn't even look offended by her tone. He never did.

Contrary, he knew that it was a hint of her being upset, or tired. Or, just like in this case, of her stress. And he always tried to speak in a soft tone himself, knowing that telling her off for something like that will just make her feel attacked, and led to a fight.

He had seen it happen too many times with other campers and experienced it himself when they first meet, back when they were kids.

In the other hand, showing her that he didn't care or blame her for it give her the confidence enough to try to put her feelings in another way that doesn't end in any kind of argument.

With a sigh she passed her hand through her hair, taking off her bandana and starting to put it on again mechanically.

"Is just...that stupid assignment" she puckered her nose in disgust "Don't get me wrong, I don't have nothing against the topic, I swear, but there's so much that mortals don't know. I have to go between mortal's book again and again so I would write something that they don't know yet.

I can't even write about the real reason behind its start or put the big three's oath! It's...irritating"

Chris knew what she is talking about. It had happened to him, too.

Camp has a lot of books, all of them in greek, that were translations of mortal's book or written by demigods themselves about all the topics a person could think- he has found from normal science textbooks to one about how to pet a Hydra- so they had borrowed some to study.

It has made things easier, without having to struggle with dyslexia. But, before they finish every assignment they'd have to check them with their normals textbooks, as there was a lot of information that was impossible to prove to mortals, and therefore, not valid to put in their work.

It was impractical, irritable and totally frustrating, really.

So he stands up and smiling to her he extends his good arm:

"Then let's take a break. You can finish it later. It's almost the time of dinner, anyway."

She hesitates, giving to her books a quick look, but she finally takes his hand with a groan.

"I can definitely do some food"

* * *

Chris woke up with a moan.

He has rolled over his bad arm during the night on his sleep, apparently, and, even with the nectar and ambrosia of the other day, it was numb and every intent to move it hurt.

A purple, almost black bruise spread from a few inches below his shoulder, there where one of the Cyclops has grabbed him.

Dressing sounded like an impossible mission but he pushed himself over it. He could hear the sound of the shower so he led himself to the kitchen to prepare coffee for them both.

It was quite a routine now; she got up first, and while she was taking a shower he'd start making breakfast, that'd be finished by Clarisse, while it was his time into the bathroom. They prepare their things for the college the night before, in order to not lose more time, and they can leave right after their quick breakfast.

Just that this time he was taking back because of his injury, and it was starting to irritate him.

He was known for being fast, and for his skill in the battlefield gained after so much years training with Clarisse and her siblings.

He was used to the pain after a workout, the muscle pain, being tired, and all that that makes him lose his fluency...but this was different. Being unable to do anything with normality because an injury made him feel like a big fool.

So when he retched the bathroom and tried to shave the one-week beard that has started to grow during his tests, but cut himself instead, he loses it.

He dropped the razor on the sink with more force than the necessary and looked at the mirror were a frowning young man returned his look with frustration.

"Chris?" Clarisse's worried voice came from the kitchen. He didn't answer, still looking at the mirror, seeing the blood come out of the small scratch until she appeared in her sight "Everything alright?"

Her eyes went from him still frowning, to the razor and back at him and the cut.

"Everything is not alright" she decided. She went through the room and took some toilet paper to handle it to him. He took it and press it through his face with a sigh.

"I'm so tired" he confessed in a whisper, reluctant, while resting his head on her shoulder. He didn't like to tell her that he wasn't getting as much sleep as he was supposed to do. She already knew that and was doing everything she could to change it, even when she wasn't getting it, either. But sometimes he couldn't handle it anymore. "And this arm is not helping"

"I know, I know" Clarisse scratch his hair absently and he closed his eyes. The first time that he remember her doing it was while they were in the woods, after the titan war. They had sat under a tree, trying to spend some time alone when he decided to just lay on her lap, and to his surprise, she didn't say anything but move her hand to play with his hair.

He just stood there, seeing her with curiosity until she realized what she was doing and, blushing, stopped speaking and retire her hand.

She explained to him later, her eyes refusing to meet him, that she used to do it while he was in the basement. After that and some persuasion from Chris, it became a normal thing.

Now, he remained silent, trying to breathe out the frustration.

When she spoke again, her tone was soft and warm in the way that her voice always was when she was trying to calm down someone.

"Do you want me to do it? Shave you, I mean"

He opened his eyes at that and looked at her, curious "Do you know how to do it?"

She smirked, "My brothers always get injured. You'd be surprised by the things I had made for them while they were at the infirmary"

That made sense. Totally sense, actually.

"Ok, then" he shrugged and reached for the razor again. While he handled it to her he saw that he has smeared the shaving cream all over her shoulder and he grimaced "Sorry for that, by the way"

Clarisse glanced at her shoulder and made a derogatory gesture with her hand " I'll just change later. Now, pass me that"

She took the razor and the creme to apply there where it was necessary. Chris sit down on the toilet, closed his eyes and let her turn his head to the light.

It was quite an experience.

He had never had anybody to shave him after- well, with him conscious of it, he realized, as someone has had to shave him while he was insane.

He had never really thought about it, but now, feeling her firms, but yet soft hands in his face, moving with an unexpected dexterity he wondered if her brothers where the only one that she has shave before.

But, if she hadn't mentioned it before, he was not going to bring it now.

"There"

He opened his eyes again at the sound of Clarisse's voice. He thanked her before he stands up and walks toward the sink to wash his face. He winced at first, remembering why Clarisse has to intervene before, but he still washed and dried his face on his own.

He inspected the result in the mirror, passing a hand over his chin.

"Smooth," He said, smiling.

She rolled her eyes and made her way out of the bathroom.

"Breakfast is on the table, I'm going to change"

He waited for a second, just standing there, and then he called her:

"Clarisse?, I'm really mean it. Thanks"

Her 'I know' came from someplace on their bedroom, and Chris could have sworn that he had heard a smile on her voice.

Laughing he made his way out, too.

This was just going to be another no-too normal day for them, apparently.

* * *

 ***Just a headcanon. In my head it makes sense, I swear it.**

* * *

 ****Real book. I haven't read it, I just google for some 2WW books and that one caught my attention…**

* * *

 *****I did my research: Arizona University does not offer courses or a degree in that specific area. Or at last that is what I found after looking in their web site- for a moment I thought they did, but then I found that I was looking in Arizona State University's web as well, which, apparently, is not the same University.**

 **But let pretend they offer it, for the sake of the story.**

 **(If you has information that proves otherwise...you know what to do)**

 **Also, I has always think in Clarisse like the type of Ares's daughter that read book about wars, even if is just to no make the same mistake in a battlefield or to look for new strategies,so, yeah, a degree in military history is what Clarisse is supposed to be doing in this story.**

* * *

 **Bunch of headcanons here, and you don't imagine how much time this one took to be done. I think that I started a month ago...?**

 **Anyway, I hope you have had a good valentine day, and if you didn't, I hope this day will be better (actually, to you all, have a great day today!)**


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